Berlinde De Bruyckere returns to her native Ghent with a striking new chapter in her practice: Arcangelo II (San Giorgio), now permanently installed inside the historic St. Bavo’s Cathedral. The unveiling cements the work within the Collection of the Flemish Community and underscores the artist’s position as one of today’s defining voices in berlinde de bruyckere sculpture and contemporary art. This introduction of a new landmark piece expands public access to her deeply affecting vision of the sacred and the human.
A new landmark in contemporary sculpture
Crafted between 2023 and 2024, Arcangelo II (San Giorgio) epitomizes De Bruyckere’s visceral approach to contemporary sculpture. Known for her masterful use of wax, animal skins, hair, textiles, metal, and wood, the artist shapes hauntingly fragile bodies suspended between vulnerability and transcendence. In this installation, she continues her long-standing inquiry into the tension between suffering and protection, echoing the cathedral’s centuries-old history of devotion.
The work appears almost weightless within the cathedral’s monumental architecture—an apparition that blurs boundaries between the human and the divine. Through this interplay, De Bruyckere meditates on themes that have defined her career: fragility, resilience, and the complex emotional landscapes of the human condition.
Contemporary sculpture meets flemish heritage
The inclusion of Arcangelo II (San Giorgio) in the Collection of the Flemish Community marks a significant cultural milestone. Though internationally celebrated, De Bruyckere’s roots in Ghent remain central to her artistic language. Influenced by the Flemish Renaissance and the legacies of European Old Masters, she draws from Christian iconography, mythology, and historical narratives—reframing them through a distinctly contemporary lens.
BERLINDE DE BRUYCKERE
Arcangelo II (San Giorgio), 2023–2024
Courtesy of BERLINDE DE BRUYCKERE, photography by MIRJAM DEVRIENDT
